Ilulissat – Ice Ice Baby

After a lovely sunny day in Sisimiut, we headed to our last stop – Ilulissat - on what had so far been a extraordinary journey.

We were informed that evening onboard, that the ship was not able to sail into Kangerlussuaq, due to the extreme ice conditions – we thus had to sail back to Nuuk, where we would fly to Kangalussuaq to catch our connecting flight to Copenhagen. We were on an Expedition, where we had to expect the unexpected!

The alteration to our sailing schedule did not really dampen our spirits, as we were all so excited to arrive in Ilulissat and experience Disco Bay and the amazing Icebergs.

In the early morning hours, Karin, the expedition leader woke up the entire ship and told us to go out on the decks to view what must have been the most astonishing view I have ever seen. We were Disko Bay and utterly surrounded by icebergs of various sizes and shapes.

I was told that the excursion, you did not want to miss was the boat trip to the Icefjord – and this could not be more true. We were 185 out of the 195 on board who had booked this trip, which did provide some logistical challenges. However we were all able to experience the breathtaking Ice Fjord, a handful of guests also opted to see it from the sky – needless to say, we were all speechless. I even tasted some of the ice, and it tasted like pure water.

Following the boat trip, I had time to explore Ilulissat, which is the 3rd largest town in Greenland . I was told that a local, who was studying the Aarhus school of Art, had an exhibition on at the Art Museum, which I had to go see. The art pieces on display, which was mostly inspired by Greenlandic nature, were beautiful.

That night, the “Arctic sky and Ice” experience was available to book onboard. I kind of felt, that since I did not get baptized by King Neptune, I would need to do something else, which was out of my comfort zone. So, my bed for the night was a sun chair and a sleeping bag out on deck. There were only a handful of people doing this and I was pleased that 2 of the expedition interns joined me. It was truly amazing, the sun did not set but as the morning hours came it did get quite foggy, which was a shame. Not everyone lasted all night, but I did not leave until 6am, when were woken up with pre-breakfast coffee and pastries. Naturally, I did need to have a nap later that day.

About 50 Degrees North

50 Degrees North is a niche, independently owned, specialist travel company that aims to give you a little more than just a holiday. We specialise regionally, as we believe it is not possible to be good at everything. We also focus on offering the most enriching style of travel.